


Family

by SpyVsTailor



Category: Boardwalk Empire
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-20
Updated: 2016-01-20
Packaged: 2018-05-15 05:37:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5773417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpyVsTailor/pseuds/SpyVsTailor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Sometimes in business it’s good to give back all that we take from the people.” Arnold Rothstein enters into another business deal with Margaret.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Family

“Do you have children, Mr. Rothstein?”

Once more they were sitting in her parlour sipping tea, Emily at his feet playing with some ‘dolls’ she had cut from the Sears & Roebuck’s catalog.

Holding one of the fine, paper ladies in his lap, amused by Emily who had silently handed it to him, Arnold Rothstein smiled serenely. “No.”

They were quiet, one of their companionable silences that had become one of her favourite parts of their meetings.

“My wife and I decided a while ago that we aren’t willing to have children.”

Margaret smiled at him. “Family planning is quite important, I find.”

“A risky topic, but I agree,” he replied. “I understand you had a hand in family planning in Atlantic City.”

She flushed a little and dropped her eyes to her lap. “Seems you know quite a bit about me, Mr. Rothstein.”

He only sipped his tea calmly in response. After a moment he said, “you know, Miss Rohan, there’s a lot of unfortunate women in this city.”

He left that sentence hanging and it was full and ripe, waiting for Margaret to pluck it.

For some reason, she didn’t. All Margaret could do was just stare at her hands. She felt like that woman was dead, like every incarnation of her had been burned away and all that was left was a shell, an empty vessel.

“The troubles women face,” he began.

She frowned, expecting to get a scolding or something for her lack of care.

“The troubles women face in life far outweigh the troubles of man.”

Margaret raised her eyes and met his.

“I find especially, in the lower quarter of the city where people aren’t so learned, they do tend to live in fear and subjugation. Of course even in the highest echelons of society we have terrible people disregarding the worth of those they love.”

Reaching for her teacup, Margaret sipped her tea to avoid his eyes and asked, “so, I should fear you, Mr. Rothstein?”

“You have nothing to fear from me, Miss Rohan.”

She smiled at him, before a thought came to her. “You know, I had heard that there was a boarded up building two blocks down. If we could find a doctor, someone to work for us…but we need the money for a family planning clinic.”

“We?” He asked, sipping his tea.

She glanced up at him curiously.

“I said nothing about a family planning clinic,” he went on.

Margaret was confused, wasn’t that what he was subtly trying to get across to her earlier? Maybe she had read it wrong.

“I never conduct business like that, Miss Rohan.” He explained, smiling then, he set down his cup and saucer and crossed his legs. “I’ll tell you what, our little business deal here has increased my funds better than expected. You get the figures on paper and I might consider becoming a silent partner, but the running will be all up to you.”

Smiling over the rim of her teacup at him, she nodded and said, “very well.”

He too sipped at his tea with a small grin.

“Any other business schemes we can get into?” She asked a little playfully, re-energized by the idea of finally getting back to her one true passion.

“Miss Rohan, may I offer some business advice?”

“Of course.”

“Call it ‘business deals’, it sounds more legitimate.”

She beamed at him. “Business deals.”

They sipped at their tea quietly, before she said, “you know, we won’t make any real money from a clinic.”

“I’ve put money into a few things that never saw any profit, Miss Rohan,” he explained. “Sometimes in business it’s good to give back all that we take from the people.”

**Author's Note:**

> More from my tumblr account. I think I have a million more to come. So...stayed tuned!


End file.
